If they do it will drive down prices of the OM-D, just like all of the other releases have dropped the price of previous models. I never expected to be able to afford an E-P3 as quickly as I did this past year. Good news for those of us who buy a step or two down from the newest model bad news for those trying to get resale value from cameras they purchased at release. It's a bit surprising how quickly :43: bodies are being released.

If they do it will drive down prices of the OM-D, just like all of the other releases have dropped the price of previous models. I never expected to be able to afford an E-P3 as quickly as I did this past year. Good news for those of us who buy a step or two down from the newest model bad news for those trying to get resale value from cameras they purchased at release. It's a bit surprising how quickly :43: bodies are being released.

I think I've read that rumor since a few weeks ago already, that they're going to release a pro-level OM-D in Q1 2013. Isn't it supposed to be able to natively use m43 and 43 lenses?

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With the rumors stating that the "Pro Level OM-D" being released within a year of the EM-5 release, I'm guessing that the new OM-D is probably the same thing as the new 4/3 body rumor. Probably a larger DSLR style body with phase detect and the ability to use m43 and 43 natively.

I don't understand what "pro level" is. I thought the OM-D had a whole bunch of "pro" features, not sure what else they could add, except maybe better C-AF.

I think a lot of this is coming from m43rumours who are probably trying to generate hype to get more hits (which is fine), they had this yesterday about the GH3:

"And very likely the first camera that can be considered as “pro” level camera."

I'm assuming he meant first m43 camera, but even so, I'm not sure that the specs he has in his rumour make it anymore "pro" than the OM-D, except it may be bigger!

Colin

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According to Oly, the E-M5 isn't pro. I believe, outside of maybe a couple of build items (shutter life?), that it isn't tied to pro support, so they aren't calling it a pro camera. When they tie it into that, it will be a pro camera.

According to Oly, the E-M5 isn't pro. I believe, outside of maybe a couple of build items (shutter life?), that it isn't tied to pro support, so they aren't calling it a pro camera. When they tie it into that, it will be a pro camera.

According to Oly, the E-M5 isn't pro. I believe, outside of maybe a couple of build items (shutter life?), that it isn't tied to pro support, so they aren't calling it a pro camera. When they tie it into that, it will be a pro camera.

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I hope Olympus makes a better job of the 'pro support' than they did with the E-1. I was an early adopter with two E-1 bodies and eventually five Digital Zuiko lenses. The "pro support" from Olympus Europe was non-existent and I quickly sold the gear at a big loss and went to Canon, whose support was phenomenal and still is.

As I was joking earlier, a lot of this is based on a rumour of a rumor which was formed from a comment from Akira Watanabe which, I believe, was intended to mean a particular thing & was probably re-interpreted to mean something else & the rumours (& rumors) have kept on rolling from there.

All this has been discussed extensively here: what features would make the EM-5 a "more pro camera" (sic!) as well as the matter of FT legacy lenses support.

The former discussion reads for the most part as a "let's make the perfect all-around camera" competition. There will always be a subjective matter. In fact, I both opened a relevant thread and posted on my blog about such a camera, and I have to admit, to make a feature list is the most difficult thing in the world.

Native (i.e. by use of new type of adapter and/or highly efficient PD-AF technology on sensor) for FT lenses, is the most clever thing Olympus could possibly implement. Let's face it: even if they had the resources and drive to port all the important FT lenses to :43: (and we are talking possibly 4 to 7 lenses here, that have no real equivalent in the :43: native collection), it would take them at least a year. Perhaps close to two years.

By providing an interim -but solid- solution they could (a) continue to sell a number of FT lenses to the :43: crowd, (b) give existing FT customers (whatever's left, anyway) a safe passage to :43: and (c) buy valuable time for R&D and resource management.

I don't know if my logic is flawed in any way, but I fail to see any fault in such a marketing decision.

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